A Never Ending Uphill Battle
by russianroulette10
Summary: Leah splits from the pack and gets pulled into an unlikely job far from home. Pack troubles ensue back in La Push preventing Leah from being able to return home. How will she cope? Will she find happiness in her new life? Who will she meet along the way? NOT Blackwater. Spin off from ANEP. Rated M for violence, language, and sexual content. Leah/OC.
1. Prelude

This is a Leah/OC story that begins with Leah joining Jake's pack. Jake and Leah are able to break off of Sam's pack after Jake learned that Bella was pregnant. Leah hates the Cullens so she offers to fill in for Jake at his job in Seattle. Jake works as a bodyguard for a mob boss, Anson.

This story begins at Chapter 12 in A Never Ending Paradox. **You don't need to read NEP to understand this story**. Just understand these three things:

1. You just need to know that Lexi is Jacob's imprint. She is Quileute, but has grown up on the East Coast her whole life. Lexi was kidnapped in the beginning of NEP and was rescued from the kidnappers by Anson (a dangerous mob boss) and Jake.

2. Jacob owes Anson a large sum of money, so Jake and Anson made a deal that Jake works for Anson as a bodyguard until he pays him back.

3. Anson knows there is something wrong with Jake, because he witnessed Jake kill some of the kidnappers with his bare hands.

Enjoy.

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**Prelude**

**(AN: For those who read NEP... this is Chapter 12. There will be new material starting at Chapter 1.)**

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If someone had told me when I woke up this morning that I would never have to step foot in my back-stabbing cousin's kitchen ever again I would have smacked them for being in my bedroom without my permission.

Yet, I found myself riding a shuttle from Port Angeles up the I-5 toward SeaTac Airport. It had been years since I had been to the big city, since before Dad died. The city air blew through the open window above me reminding me of the huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I was free of Sam's pack which meant no more bon fires, no more pack meetings at their house, and biggest of all was that no one would be able to force me into going to their wedding.

After all, my new alpha owes me _big time_.

I can't believe that he had forgotten about his imprint. It twisted the proverbial knife deeper when I reminded him of his situation. How did he expect to single-handedly protect the Cullens and his imprint, who was nearly 150 miles away? I can remember how his face paled when her name rolled off my tongue.

_I willed my bare feet to push me closer toward the boarder. My heart was pounding, not only at the pace I was pushing in my human form, but the idea of being able to leave the hell I currently was trapped in. I ran slower in my human form, but everyone was phased in and I couldn't risk them finding out my plans. They would be able to hear my thoughts and someone would be sent to intercept immediately. _

_I panted as my lungs burned and my thighs ached. I had a feeling like there was someone following behind me, which made me push faster. I wasn't at the boarder yet, and I certainly was not going to give up this once in a lifetime opportunity without a fight. _

_A wave of relief passed over my entire body once I crossed the imaginary line, but I knew exactly where it was. The scent of my brothers previous patrol trails faded and I coughed at the increasing scent of the bloodsuckers. I wasn't going to stop running until I reached the Cullen's. _

_It was almost noon now and Jacob had broken off more than four hours ago after Sam and some of the others agreed to an immediate attack on the Cullens. Sam's plan of a surprise attack would fail with Jacob's forewarning though, so it was called off temporarily. After Jake's split, there was almost an unbearable hour of arguing in wolf form about what should be done. I had to keep my thoughts of leaving out of my head and decided on arguing in favor of an attack to keep people suspicions off of me. Seth had made it difficult, though, spending most of his time arguing with me in favor of the Cullens. _

_I couldn't take any more of the six other bickering thoughts, so I announced that I was going back to my house to eat lunch. My breakfast had been interrupted by several howls from Jared. In human form, Seth followed me back home and annoyingly continued to argue. Thankfully, I was able to eat in silence. Sam had told the rest of the pack to meet back at Emily's after a small break to finish whatever we were doing before the whole fiasco. Thankfully, it hadn't been an order. So I slipped out of the house without Seth's knowledge. _

_Ahead of me, I could see the clearing in the trees before the Cullen mansion. I sighed in relief as I began to slow down to catch my breath, now my nose and lungs burned from breathing in the stench of leech. _

_A twig snapped behind me and I spun around with a gasp. _

_Jacob's russet wolf snarled at me as he advanced slowly. _

"_Don't worry, Jake, I'm not here for your precious leeches." I grumbled as I crossed my arms defensively._

_He snarled again._

"_I can't understand wolf, Jacob," I scoffed, "So phase back."_

_He literally followed out my request and phased on the spot, standing naked in front of me. My nose scrunched up in disgust as I averted my eyes. I heard some ruffling of clothes and I was glad that he was putting on some pants._

"_What are you doing here, Leah?" he barked._

"_It's obvious, isn't it?" I snapped back, "I want to help, Jake. I want to be in your pack."_

"_Why?" He scowled at me, "You don't even like the Cullens and I know you certainly don't like me."_

"_It's better option." I mumbled toward the ground—not wanting to go into the specifics. You would think after being in my head for the past couple months that he would understand that I hated being around my ex. _

_He scoffed, "Go back, Leah," he pointed back to the reservation._

"_Is that an order?" I asked with my right eyebrow arched._

"_No!" Jacob shouted. I knew he hated the idea of taking away someone's free will. That was why we had both agreed on how messed up imprinting was…_

_But now I know better._

"_Face it, Jake, you need me." _

"_I don't –"_

_I cut him off, "How do you expect to help the Cullens by yourself?" I asked, "What about your imprint?"_

_I watched the blood drain from his face._

I knew now that imprinting doesn't take away your free will. Jacob was still the same—obsessed with Bella Swan.

If Jake could forget about it so easily, what does that mean for me?

Sam was just an asshole thinking with his dick who cheated on me for my cousin. It was as simple as that.

"_Shit!" Jacob shouted as he ran both his hands through his hair. He paced in front of me, obviously agitated by the current situation. He picked up a rather large rock and threw it angrily between the trees toward the grey sky above us. How did that help anything? Why do guys always throw shit when they're angry?_

"_Calm down, Jake." I shook my head and scoffed._

"_What the fuck am I supposed to do, Leah!" he exclaimed, "I'm supposed to be in Seattle tonight!"_

_I wanted to say 'Ask yourself who's more important', but I kept my mouth shut. I'm not sure I wanted to know the answer. What if he chose Bella? _

"_I'll go." I blurted out. _

"_What?" Jake's eyes got as wide as saucers._

"_I'll go to Seattle." I repeated, "That way you can stay here."_

"_Why?" He asked._

_What a stupid question. Jeez, he is so dense._

"_Because you have that thing with your imprint," I explained to him, "Quil told me all about it on patrol."_

"_No, I mean, why are you doing this for me?" he asked, incredulous._

"_I need this, Jake." I explained, "I need to be in your pack. I need to get away from Sam and move on with my life."_

_He was silent as he thought over what I just told him. His brows furrowed as he stared intensely at the moss covered soil under our bare feet._

"_Fine, but be careful, Leah." He warned like he actually cared, "You have no idea what Anson is like."_

Even though I was wearing a suit that belonged to the blonde vamp, I haven't been this happy in over a year. The itchy feeling from wearing actual clothes—instead of basketball shorts or cheap cotton dresses—couldn't bring my spirits down.

Once I arrived at the airport, I hailed a taxi, which I would have to pay for with some of the money the bloodsuckers gave me. Jake had told the leeches that I had to go to Seattle today. They offered for me to take one of their cars, but I refused. There was no way I was going to deal with the leeches' stench in a tiny vehicle for the long drive to Seattle, the clothes were bad enough. I had run in wolf form to Port Angeles with the clothes in a plastic baggy. I changed in the covering of the trees and walked in stiletto heels to the shuttle's station. I can't believe Jake convinced me to wear this shit. I can't imagine how Blondie felt about it. I didn't even want to think about how expensive this outfit was.

At almost five o'clock, I arrived at the address Jake had given me. The shuttle had left at one o'clock, but took a little over three hours because of all the stops it made.

The cab drove up to metal gate and stopped. I paid the driver and got out with the small bag that I didn't see why I needed, except that it held my cotton dress to change back into if I needed. I walked up to the gate and noticed the panel with a keypad on it. I pressed the 'speaker' button with vigor, but didn't bother to say anything. The gate buzzed a couple seconds later and slowly swung open. I walked down the long driveway in my stupid heels.

Even though I had seen his memories of Anson's mansion, I was still surprised by how incredibly large it was. I walked past the manicured bushes and perfect lawn and reached a large fountain in the center of the circle driveway. The mansion's walls were made with tan stucco, which made it look like it belonged in a warmer climate. I stepped up onto the first large steps before the large front door opened up and two well-dressed men came out.

"Who are you?" One spoke with a deep voice.

I looked him over with a critical eye. Beneath the suit, I could tell that he was very well built, but being human, I could easily take him out. I felt my ego swell as he openly checked me out. After being constantly treated like just another one of the guys in the pack, I have to admit that it was nice to be appreciated by a good-looking man.

"I'm a friend of Jake's, he was here yesterday." I stated, "I need to talk to Anson."

"Ah, I thought I heard my name." I heard a voice shout from inside the house as the man I recognized from Jake's memory came through the front door. He had a bit of stubble growing on his chin, but other than that he looked the same.

"Now, what can I do for you, Miss?" He asked as he shoved his hands into his suit pockets.

"I came as a favor for Jake." I shrugged, "I need to fill in for him tonight."

"Is that so?" He raised his eyebrows and let out a gravely chuckle.

By his tone I knew that he was not happy.

"Well you can tell Jake that if I don't see his ungrateful ass on these steps by tomorrow night, he can kiss our deal goodbye." He shouted as his face turned beet red.

I felt a wave of dread, but refused to show it on my face. I didn't want to ruin things for Jake, he would never forgive me.

"You don't think I can do the job?" I asked, hotly, as I cocked my eyebrow.

He barked out a laugh, "Oh, sweetheart," he chuckled, "I _know_ you can't. Jake's going to be working for me as a bodyguard. I've seen what he's capable of singlehandedly." He paused to laugh at me again, "What do you weigh? A buck thirty? A buck forty?"

The guards joined him in laughter.

I smirked at them, "What do I have to do to prove myself?"

They stopped laughing when they saw the confidence in my expression.

"I don't want to see a pretty face like yours ruined, sweetheart." He pouted for effect.

I bit back a laugh at this. If only they knew.

"Don't worry 'bout me." I tilted my head cockily.

I waited as Anson mulled over my request.

I knew what he had seen when Jake pretty much slaughtered those men in the abandoned building where the disgusting maggots were holding his imprint. I didn't have to hold back here. I had to impress Anson to save the imprint _and _Jake.

"Fine." He agreed and immediately motioned his men to attack.

I didn't wait. I dropped my bag before I bolted toward the guard closest to me. He threw a punch, which I didn't even bother to block or dodge. I'll admit that I felt it, but the pain it brought was only an annoyance, whereas I heard the bones break in his hand as his fist connected with my face. Before he was able to cry out I wrapped my fingers around his throat and lifted him completely off his feet with one hand. I held him off the ground as he thrashed and kicked the air, choking and scratching at my hand on his throat.

I smirked at the second guard and Anson, who were just standing there with dumbfounded expressions as I held the 200 pound man off the ground. He started to lose consciousness, so I chucked him at the second guard, who quickly got out of the way.

The second guard was a little more strategic after watching his comrade get his ass handed to him.

My next victim pulled out a handgun. I knew that getting shot would hurt like a bitch, so I tried to get to him as fast as possible. As I ran I could see that he was tensing up, so I crouched down right in time because the gun fired. I lunged from my crouch, resulting in me barreling into the man. However, I knew a human would get seriously injured if I didn't cushion the fall. I hugged him tightly and gripped the back of his head with my right hand just before we fell onto the pavement. I was right to protect his head because the back of my hand stung like a bitch as the skin scraped off against the rough surface of the driveway.

Disoriented from the fall, I ripped the gun from his hand, but flinched as I accidentally broke his finger, which had been on the trigger.

He cried out in pain and clutched his hand as I stood back up aiming his own firearm at him as I backed up towards Anson.

"Well, shit." Anson exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"So, can I fill in?" I asked seriously.

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Tell me what you think.

Just so you guys know. I am a college student who graduates in May. Thank you. Its been tough, but understand that finals are coming up. So updates will be chaotic until June.


	2. Chapter 1: Blue

**Long time. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter One: Blue **

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_Such a lovely color for you_  
_Call an optimist, she's turning blue_  
_Such a perfect color for your eyes_

_******Blue - A Perfect Cirle**_

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Rated M for language!

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Anson's surprised, brown eyes shifted over to me as I handed him the firearm not before I put the safety on. I knew how to use a gun—it came with being a Clearwater. My dad kept several guns in the house and made sure that Seth and I understood that guns were an important tool. I'm sure that Jake has never touched a gun in his whole life.

_So, technically I'm more qualified for this job than he is_.

For almost five seconds, Anson stared at me slack jawed. He finally got over his initial shock after I let out an annoyed huff.

"Well, I've got to say I'm impressed." He shoved his hands into his pockets, "How does a very attractive young lady such as yourself learn how to carry herself like _that_?" He asked with raised brows.

I folded my arms over my chest and tapped my index finger against my bottom lip, "Hmm," I pretended to think about it, "How 'bout I just show you?"

"No, I'm good," Anson replied quickly.

"Well there you go." I growled out quietly under my breath.

Anson's eyes narrowed fractionally before a smirk formed on his lips, "Well look at that." Anson motioned down at my bloody sleeve, "Looks like we'll be needing to get you some fresh clothes."

I clenched my teeth, fighting the urge to roll my eyes as Anson's attention was drawn to three approaching guards.

"Hey boys, let's get these guys patched up," He barked at them, "And Timmy boy!"

One of the guard's head shot up in response to Anson's call and Anson motioned for him to come.

"Could you fetch Miss…" Anson looked like he was waiting for me to fill in the blank.

"Leah." I grumbled as I crossed my arms. There was no way in hell I was going to give him my last name.

"Leah… some _proper_ clothes?" He asked as he handed some rolled up bills to the man.

The man smirked and walked off with the money.

_Fuck._

I was going to beat his ass if he brought over some slutty, lacy shit for me to wear.

"So, Leah," Anson turned back to me, "We won't be heading off for another three hours or so—"

"Perfect," I cut him off, "I was going to go see Lexi." I walked over to pick up the small bag I've been carrying all afternoon.

"I'll have someone show you where she is staying." He nodded.

Anson summoned yet another guard to lead me through the large, confusing rooms and corridors of the house. _Was it just me or did these guards just come out of nowhere_? Every time Anson called for one, they would just _arrive._ How many guards worked for him? And this frickin' house! It was _huge_. You'd have to live here for a while before you could find your way through it without getting lost.

We walked through yet another door, but this time it led outside into a cemented area surrounding a pool. The guard stopped and pointed across the pool to what seemed to be a pool-house.

"She's in there." He stated before he rushed back to the door we came through.

The stiletto shoes I was wearing clacked against the cement as I made my way to where Lexi was. I could hear a muffled heartbeat in the room as well as TV background noise. I entered the small structure through a set of French doors only to be surprised to see a bar that looked like it was taken directly out of a restaurant. To the left of the bar there was another set of doors leading outside. To the right of the bar was the entertainment area, which was where Lexi was sitting on a tan couch, surprised by my arrival.

She looked exactly like the way Jacob remembered her, including the tiny silk red robe and lingerie the kidnappers had dressed her in. Why didn't she ask someone for a change of clothes? She was probably just as shy as all the other imprints. _Figures._

"Hey." I grumbled as I kicked off Blonde's stilettos and dropped the bag I had been carrying.

Relieved that I was finally out of those shoes, I walked around the couch to greet Lexi. She still hadn't said anything to me and standing quietly next to the couch. I had hoped that she was different than the other imprints, but no. She reminded me of Kim—a shy, scared little girl—just prettier. If I were in her shoes I would have immediately demanded for different clothes, then asked _what the fuck_ I was doing here.

"Leah." I greeted her holding my hand out.

When she grasped my hand with hers, I squeezed it harder than I normally would have to see how she would react.

"Lexi." she replied, letting go of my hand quickly.

_Ha!_

"I know." I huffed as I debated on whether to tell her that Jake sent me.

_Naw._ I needed to see what I was dealing with here. With all of that leadership supposedly flowing through Jacob's veins, would the spirits send him a strong alpha-female to stand by his side?

"What'ya watching?" I asked motioning toward the friggin' gargantuan plasma TV on the wall.

She didn't answer and continued to stand there wringing her hands, so I spoke up, "You have anything to eat?" I groaned, "I'm fucking starving!"

"Umm," she mumbled back at me, "There's alcohol in the bar,"

Why did I even get my hopes up about her? She's just like the other imprints. Rachael is the only one that has got enough fire, but she is Jacob's sister. _That would just be sick_.

"You don't say." I snapped back at her. I immediately regretted it though since it wasn't her fault that Jacob imprinted on her.

She was completely silent as I made my way towards the bar, as I looked through the labels on the shelves I realized that there wasn't a single brand of high-proof drink they didn't have. I saw they had The Maccallen-18, a single malt that my Dad had gotten as a gift once, I don't know who had given it to him, but I remember him telling me that it was expensive. I remember him letting me try some with him when I was fourteen. I don't remember what it had tasted like. I pulled it from its place on the shelf and made my way back to sit on the couch.

After I made myself comfortable on the plush cushions, I took a gulp of the drink and felt it burn down my throat, I coughed at the sensation. The sting of the whiskey was worth it though. In my mind, I could see my dad and me sitting at the table in the kitchen with him laughing heartily at the face I had made after sipping on his drink.

"That's better." I sighed.

Lexi was still standing, looking down at me with a confused expression.

"What are standing for?" I barked at her, agitated that she was just standing, staring at me.

"No reason." She mumbled as she awkwardly sat on the edge of the couch cushion next to mine.

She looked like she had a large pole stuck up her ass with her perfectly straight back and tense posture.

As I watched the infomercial on the TV, I observed Lexi out of the corner of my eye. She looked like she was constipated as she held the tiny silk robe together, covering her body. Which reminded me—

"Oh, right." I jumped up and leaped over the back of the couch towards that stupid bag I had been carrying. I picked it up, "I have something for you," I said, pulling the white cotton dress I had been wearing earlier in the day.

I handed it to her over the couch.

"Thank you." She smiled as she held it out in front of her.

I climbed over the back of the couch and tucked my legs underneath me. The tight material of the suit I was wearing made my position uncomfortable. So I opted on propping my feet up on the coffee table.

Lexi quickly took the robe off, only wearing the matching lacy bra and underwear, I frowned her back. I could see her ribs through her skin, meaning she was way too fucking skinny. Has this girl eaten today?

I felt my wolf sit up straight, alarmed.

My wolf's sudden interest took me off guard. She usually didn't make herself known unless a cold-blooded leech was somehow involved.

'_What was I supposed to feed her exactly?' _I directed at my internal spirit animal.

I was overwhelmed at the anxiety that was building up inside of me. I breathed deeply—ignoring the bitter chlorine smell that lingered in the air—as I tried to calm down.

Lexi pulled my dress on over her head and smoothed it out. I heard fabric tear, but realized it was only the stockings she was wearing as they fell to the floor. She stepped out of them before she fell back into the couch cushions and propped her legs up on the coffee table just like mine were.

The anxiety bubbling inside my stomach reminded me of the time a younger Seth decided to climb on the roof of our house while I was supposed to be watching over him. I had to coax him off the roof by promising him that he could have a bowl of my cereal in the morning. The feeling of anxiety was only getting worse, so I was about to pull her up to drag her along in search for food when I heard two sets of footsteps outside the pool-house coming our way.

_Just play it cool_. My inner voice hissed at me as I listened in on the whispered conversation occurring outside.

"Did you see the bruises on D's throat, man?" A muffled voice whispered, "There's no way I'm going anywhere _near _that chick. I don't care how fucking hot she is."

"You're a pussy." A second man scoffed at his friend.

Advertisements continued to flash across the screen in front of Lexi and I. _What the fuck? Was this channel just ads or something? _I grabbed for the remote on the table and took another swig of the honey colored drink. I flipped through the channels, not even paying attention to whatever flashed by.

"You say that now, but you didn't watch the whole thing go down on the security tapes." He hissed back, "That shit she pulled was unreal."

"Whatever, man."

A knock rattled the glass of the pool doors before two of Anson's bodyguards slipped in with arms full of numerous shopping bags that looked like a sparkly-rainbow exploded all over the bags.

_Fuck. What have I gotten myself into?_

"What is this?" I growled out toward the two idiots.

"Anson said that you need to show up to work with proper attire," the asshole guard smirked as he dropped the bags on the floor, "We do spend a lot of time at his club and I believe he wants you to blend in."

_I'm going to tear this guy a new asshole. Let's see if that wipes that smirk off his smug face._

"Don't kill the messenger," The cocky bastard chuckled as his partner-in-crime dropped his bags as well.

"I made sure that not everything we got were dresses," he stated once all the bags were on the floor, "You don't seem like a dress kind of gal."

The guard didn't pussyfoot around, once he had dumped the bags, he made his way back out with his asshole friend on his tail.

I stared at the bags, wondering where to even start.

"Is this your first day?" Lexi spoke up.

_At least she isn't completely incompetent_.

"Do you need some help lookin' through this stuff?" She asked gently.

Alright, so I probably judged her a little too harshly.

"Sure." I replied, "I ain't wearing a dress, so if you could find some pants or something."

We started to rummage through the shopping bags together as I held my breath. The heavy fragrances burned my throat and nose like a vampires' stench. The heightened senses that came with being what I am were sometimes a hindrance. I couldn't stand any sort of perfumes or chemicals that humans often used without usual forethought.

"These smell." Lexi complained with a cough.

"You have no idea." I murmured as I sorted through the little pieces of material in the bags.

_Oh, you gotta be kidding me!_

I came across a bag full of lacy-frilly underwear.

To say I was pissed would have been an understatement.

I noted the black pair of skinny jeans that Lexi just pulled from one of the bags.

"Oh, good." I sighed in relief, "You found some pants."

I began to take off the leech's blood-stained clothing, getting ready to change into the sparkly blouse I had picked out. It wasn't something I would have considered buying for myself. But I would bite the bullet and do this for my alpha.

"I don't understand why I have to wear this shit." I complained as I pulled the blouse over my head, "You don't see any of the other _slaves_ wearing this."

"Because they'd look absolutely ridiculous if they did." She laughed as she waved a little black dress over her head.

I almost laughed as I had the mental image of the asshole guard dressed in the black material I just snatched from her hands. I was about to throw the dress behind the bar, already planning how I was going to go about burning it later. However, once I realized how smooth the material felt against my hands I decided to take a second look.

"That's actually not too bad." Lexi spoke up.

I set it aside for later.

I had to take off the bra I was wearing, there was no way that it would work with any of the dozens shirts I had sorted through. The only reason I picked the sparkly-ass shirt was because it had a built in bra with it. I continued to change my clothes, the black skinny jeans were slung around my hips in a heartbeat.

"Okay," I huffed as I tried to force the skimpy shirt to cover more of my exposed skin, "This is the best that it's going to get."

_If any of the guys saw me I would never hear the end of it_.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" Lexi asked with concern.

I scoffed, "Naw."

More likely I will be sweating buckets all night.

I absent-mindedly picked at the itchy material covering my stomach when a loud growl came from Lexi's, indicating how hungry she was.

"When did you eat last?" I asked while beating myself up for forgetting about that.

"It doesn't matter," She replied, "I have barely eaten anything today."

"Shit, you're the skinniest chick I've ever seen," I shook my head as I pulled on the uncomfortable heels, "Let's go get some food in you."

"But I—"

I grabbed her arm, my shifter strength allowed me to easily pull her to her feet. We were going to get some food whether she likes it or not.

I cautiously sniffed the air as we stepped outside. I tried to ignore the burn from the chlorine, but the smell was overpowering, like a punch in the gut. I needed to get away from the pool in order to be able to follow my nose and my gut—which has yet to fail me since I wolfed out—towards any food in the house.

The clicking from my heels against the cement surrounding the pool echoed in the courtyard. I was eager to get away from the horrid chlorine stench clouding the air. I could hear Lexi's footsteps following closely behind me…

"Leah!" The small, raven-haired shouted up at my face.

Lexi was standing in front of me and the echo from my heels was no longer resonating around us.

_What the fuck. What the fuck?!_

I staggered back from her, smacking her hands off my face. My heart jack-hammered in my ribcage as I tried to grasp onto… How…?

"What were you doing?" I demanded before breathing deeply in attempt to control my racing heart.

"I…" She croaked while obviously trying to rein in the panic and anger which crossed her face, "You, ummm, were freaking out on me."

"Huh?"

_Jesus, Leah, pull it together. _

"Well my nose was bleeding and—"

I grabbed her jaw in order to examining her nose, which indeed had a small droplet of blood smeared above her lip.

_What the heck?_

"How did it start bleeding?" I asked as I dropped my hand from her face.

"I ran into you," Lexi explained simply, "It was an accident."

I must be hungrier than I thought. I just need to eat some food. That's all.

"Let's find some food." I said, agitated and hungry, desperate to get away from the toxic chlorine cloud, "I'm fucking starving."

Icould still feel Lexi's eyes following her every movement as they walked towards the blackened wood door leading back into the house.

They entered the darkened hallway of the house. The lights weren't on, but the evening light flowed through the large windows facing the pool.

Just as I thought I had gotten my heart under control, my heart lurched in her chest causing me to stumble. I braced my hand out to lean against the wall as my other hand shot to my burning chest.

My wolf was suddenly snarling at me to get my ass moving.

_Taha Aki! What is with her today?_

She remained just a scratch under the surface of my control. I could feel her right there—only a paper-thin barrier differentiating me and her. We had never been so close. I could feel her emotions. She was on-edge and snapping her jaws.

A cool hand touched my naked back—startling me.

"Leah?"

"I'm fine." I barked at her, "Let's go."

"Leah!" She grabbed my arm, stopping me. "Your eyes."

"What?" I hissed.

_Her_ impatience was scrambling my brain—it was impossible to focus.

"They're blue." She stated, letting go of my arm.

"What?!" I exclaimed rhetorically, looking around for a reflective surface.

I didn't have to look far. I could see my faint reflection in the window towards the pool, my eyes stood out—glowing like beacons. Fluorescent blue.

Took off down the hallway at a human-friendly pace, looking for a mirror, anything…

I heard a familiar sound of water flowing two doors down. The door was closed, but that wasn't going to stop me. I barged in…

"Hey!" A guard shouted.

Through reasoning, I could tell he was in the process of washing his hands after using the bathroom.

"Move." I barked at him, shoving him away from the sink.

There was a mirror directly above it just like any bathroom. I was disbelieving as the reflection of the fluorescent blue eyes stared back at me.

"Bitch." The guard cursed.

An hour ago, I could have controlled myself. I would have chosen to ignore that comment, however, things change.

The comment had struck a nerve. My wolf and I were on the same page and we're in no mood for the human's comments. Seeing red, I lashed out toward him; snarling, vicious, and ready for blood. However, Lexi's frail arm was the only thing that stopped me from ripping him a new one. I'm one-hundred percent sure that if this man had not just used the bathroom, he would have just pissed himself. He refused to turn his back as he quickly shuffled out of the bathroom. Then, I could hear his heavy footsteps as he flew down the hallway.

I stared back at my reflection. The striking color was surrounding each pupil like a blue flame, while the perimeter was nearly black.

My wolf clawed for my attention before showing me images of various "tasty" dead animals. I shook my head in disgust, but her point was taken. I needed to get both Lexi and I some food.

"Come on." I huffed, dragging Lexi behind me.

Relying on my sensitive nose to guide me...

* * *

Review!


	3. Chapter 2: Take What's Mine

So excited with where this is going. Shout out if you think Leah is one BAMF...

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**Chapter 2**:** Take What's Mine**

When I opened the door of the stainless steel refrigerator I couldn't help the gathering of saliva in my mouth at the potential meals within. There was fresh produce, eggs, meats, cheeses and I hadn't even looked in the freezer yet. I've never seen so much food packed into one place before, but I was on time constraints here. I had less than thirty minutes before I needed to get going.

Lexi had cut two pieces of French bread off of the loaf sitting on the counter. My wolfish senses combined with my expertise could tell the bread had been baked today, probably this morning. There were baskets of berries lined on the second shelf of the refrigerator. I could tell that the produce probably had come from a farmers market because of the quality and the fact that there was an absence packaging and labels.

_Anson sure lived the good life, didn't he? _I thought_ as _I shook my head.

After finding a bowl, I pulled the berries out of the fridge, washed them, and placed them in the bowl for Lexi to snack on. I placed a carton of eggs onto the black, granite countertop. I spotted some bright red tomatoes, a block of cheese, and thinly sliced turkey meat that would go well in an omelet. I didn't have time to search for a cheese grater, so I hastily cut a slab of cheese from the block and would tear it up into the appropriately sized pieces when I needed it. I found an awesome dark iron fry-pan that looked like it had only been used a handful of times. I placed it on the stovetop with the burner on, waiting for it to heat the pan up. I quickly chopped the tomatoes and tore up the cheese and pieces of turkey meat.

When I opened the carton of eggs, I was pleased to see the brown eggs within. Eight of them were each cracked open and placed into the hot pan along with the cheese and a bit of cream. The smell of it was driving me crazy. I was starved! I glanced at the clock on the oven display which read that it was ten minutes 'til eight. I needed to get this done quickly if I wanted to eat it.

Once all the ingredients were in and it was edible, I turned off the burner and dumped the mixture onto Lexi's plate. The pile of eggs was steaming, but I would have to deal because I could hear an approaching set of footsteps. I all but swallowed the sizzling mixture whole—fighting the urge to spit out the hot mess as it burnt my tongue.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Lexi asked as I shoveled it down my throat.

I didn't have time to answer her because the guard appeared from the hallway.

"Time to go." The guard spoke from the kitchen doorway making Lexi jump in her seat.

I nodded, swallowing my mouthful of food. I walked around the counter-island, grabbing Lexi's half eaten piece of French bread.

"I'll be back in the morning." I told Lexi, before following the guard out of the kitchen.

We walked down the long hallway which began in the entryway to the house. I followed him out the front door where Anson was waiting next to a shiny, black SUV. I felt a shiver of disgust as he looked me up and down, obviously approving of my more revealing outfit.

"Ready to go?" He asked me with a raised brow.

I nodded my head once with a clenched jaw and tight fists.

We climbed into the vehicle, Anson was in the front seat while I was stuck, wedged between two smug-looking guards in the back. I looked out the tinted back window to see a gold Chevy tailing us. The car was unbearably silent for a dreadfully long five minutes. Both guards looked like certified assholes with their matching black jackets and sunglasses. I swear the one on my left kept peaking down the front of my top, but I couldn't be completely sure because of the dark sunglasses.

"So, Derek," Anson spoke up, catching a glance over his shoulder, "How'd the game go Saturday?"

"Great, Boss." The blonde one on my right smiled widely, "We won."

"How many were from your boy?" Anson asked.

"Two." His smile widened, "One of them was a homerun."

"That's excellent." You could hear the smile in Anson's gravelly voice. "I'm glad that extra time with that coach paid off."

"It sure did, Boss." The man nodded, "He had a blast."

Their conversation about the guard's son and his little league team continued for nearly ten minutes. It seemed like Anson genuinely cared about his employees and how their lives were going. Eventually the conversation changed and the men started to joke about other things. It was only a matter of time before the conversation lead to…

"So, Leah…"

All the sudden, all eyes were on me and I wasn't sure how to react.

"Yes," I paused, deliberating, "Boss?"

"You have family?" he asked.

I felt torn. Why did he want to know? Was he going to use them against me? Blackmail me?

"Of course." I replied, brief.

"Are you close to them?" he pressed further.

"My brother." I replied while staring straight ahead; being as to the point as possible.

"Older?" He asked, but I could tell he was more interested in how I answered this question.

His heart rate had spiked.

"No. Younger. Why?" I asked.

"Just wondering if I would have to worry about a protective older brother if anything happened to you."

_What was that supposed to mean_?

"Who said he isn't protective anyway?"

"Touché." You could hear the smirk in his voice, "What's his name?"

"Seth." I replied.

He nodded, silent briefly before he asked, "Boyfriend?"

"Nope."

My comment had gained the interest of the pervert sitting on my left.

"Really?" Anson questioned, disbelieving.

"Yes, really."

"I don't believe it." He stated, "A beautiful girl such as yourself? A girlfriend perhaps?"

I chuffed, "No."

There was a little break of silence.

"Why are you doing this for Jake, exactly?" Anson interrogated.

"I owe him." I shrugged, "Got me out of a bad spot."

Anson twisted in his seat to face me, "Saved your life?"

"Not exactly."

The car came to a stop, I figured we were just at a stoplight, but when the blonde guard exited the vehicle I realized we had arrived. I took off my seatbelt and followed the man who had held the door open for me. The gold car was stationary behind us as more guards poured out of it. In total, there were five guards, not including myself.

The scent of smoke was powerfully concentrated in the front of the club. I could hear the muffled, loud music from the inside the club. The two vehicles pulled away, three guards entered the club with Anson behind, the two guards from my car followed with me in the back. I saw Anson stop at the bouncers signaling for them to lean in towards him.

"This girl…," Anson pointed at me, "…goes wherever she wants, she's with me." He shouted so the two bouncers could hear.

The two large men nodded in confirmation.

There was loud, pulsating music with a deep base that rocked in my chest. My wolf liked the feeling, but hated the loud noise hurting our ears. The club reeked of alcohol and arousal, but at least the plumes of smoke had significantly decreased. The guards made a formation around Anson who was staring at me, apparently wanted me to join him. My heels clicked against the shiny floors until I was standing beside Anson. The guards closed around us; protecting us from any potential threats.

"What do you think?" he asked, motioning to the club around us.

The seven of us pushed through the crowd of people.

"Seems to be doing well." I replied. "Is this all yours?"

"All mine, baby." He smirked as he put his right arm around my shoulder.

My wolf growled lowly at the contact but didn't think I should shake it off.

"When's the meet scheduled?" Anson asked the guard to his left.

"Ten." The guard replied, "It's in an hour."

_Jeez. Did it really take us an hour to get here?_

We went through an archway which led to the bathrooms and a third door that had two bouncers guarding it. The seven of us went through the door and up a flight of stairs. There was a very spacious room which had dozens of T.V.s displaying security videos of the club. In the center of the room there were copious seating options. Some of the guards went to monitor the security screens, including the blonde one whose son was in little league.

My wolf liked it better up here because it was quieter, but she could still feel the bass of the music in her feet and it smelled like cleaning products and alcohol.

There was a dark-skinned man lazily lounging on one of the sofas. He took up the entire couch, lying across it. He was swirling around a glass of clear liquid in his hand.

"Oi!" Anson barked at him.

His head darted towards us and smiled widely at the sight of us before stumbling to his feet.

"Boss!" The man exclaimed, his deep baritone voice made my ears perk up, "Who's this lovely _thing_ next to you?"

As he got closer I sneezed at the pungent odor mixed with the scent of alcohol.

Anson was surprised at my sudden outburst, but he introduced me anyway with a laugh, "This is Leah and it's her first day."

"Pleasure to meet you." Deep voice greeted, offering his hand. "Grayson."

"Shake his hand." Anson chortled with a suggestive tone.

I gripped the man's hand tightly, enjoying the sound of Rice Crispies…

…_Snap, Crackle, and Pop_

The man yelped, going to his knees while holding his hand gingerly.

My wolf was ecstatic at the sight of the foul smelling man on his knees.

_She didn't like him at all. _

I trusted my wolf's instincts one-hundred percent.

Anson let out a hearty laugh before slapping the man on the back, "I wish Nick were here to see that."

"Yes, well, I'm glad he's not," the man got to his feet, "I would never hear the end of it."

Grayson and Anson sat down opposite of each other.

"Why don't you sit next to me, Leah." Anson patted the seat next to him.

As I made my way toward the plush couch, I fought the overwhelming urge to gag at the foul smell that surrounded Grayson.

_What is that smell_?

It smelled like he rolled around in road kill that had been sitting around for a couple days.

I sat close to Anson, finding some relief being near the man, whose odor was much better option than Grayson's. I carefully scooted closer to a pleased-looking Anson for some relief. Anson, however, was taking my closer proximity to his advantage by stroking my shoulder and touching the straps on my blouse.

_Jeez. The even the sofa we were sitting on smelled better. _

I endured the smell for an unbearable fifteen minutes as the two men joked and drank. During this time, I discovered that the horrid smell was coming from the man's breath, which didn't help my cause.

_Did this man snack on decaying animals for supper or something_?

That was when I noticed the blood on his upper lip.

"Are you alright?" I interrupted the two men's raucous laughter.

"What do you mean?" Grayson asked between hiccups.

"Your nose is bleeding."

Anson straightened out when he saw the blood leaking down his friends lip

"Oh, don't worry," His friend waved his hand lazily, "That's been happening all day."

_Something is wrong with him. _

The wolf imagined him lying unmoving and dead on the floor.

'_Is he dying?'_

'_Yes,'_ she affirmed.

'_Does he know,' _I directed my thoughts towards her, '_Is that why he is drinking so much?'_

She didn't know.

"You should get it checked out." I suggested trying to see how he reacted, maybe he was hiding the fact that he was near death.

"It's just a little blood," the drunken man brushed it off; "The air is just dry s'all."

His heart rate was steady and all other signs led to him telling the truth.

_Could be the alcohol… or he could not know that he's dying. _

"Anson," I spoke as I stood up, "Could I speak to you for a minute."

He gave me a look like that told me that was annoyed with me for requesting his complete attention, but he gave into my request, following me out of earshot from his friend.

I stopped and leaned in towards him, glad that we were far enough away from the smell of death.

"Your friend is dying." I stated.

"What?" Anson asked, disbelieving.

I know Anson heard me.

"What do you mean?" Anson growled at me with his fists clenched.

"If you don't get him to a doctor, he will die." I stated.

"Why? Why do you think he is dying?" He questioned.

"I just do."

"And I'm supposed to go off your word?" He raised his voice, he was pissed.

"If there was any chance that I'm right, would you risk it?"

Figuratively, I had backed him against the wall.

He glared into my eyes for nearly a minute, trying to see if I doubted anything I had just said.

"All right." He agreed as he motioned for one of the guards.

"Get a doctor down here, immediately." Anson whispered to his employee.

"Are you alright, Boss?" The man asked, immediately worried.

"I'm good," Anson assured him, "it's for Grayson."

The sound of glass shattering pulled everyone's attention towards Grayson who was now lying on the floor.

"Call an ambulance!" Anson shouted at the guard who he had just talked to about getting a doctor.

We ran towards Grayson who was at least trying to get up.

"Boss," His deep voice slurred, "Think I've had 'oo much drink."

Anson met my eyes as he and another guard helped a sickly-looking Grayson back onto the luxurious couch.

As Anson ordered the men around to do various things; cancel his appointments, keep him posted on the ambulance, and how to continue running the club without him tonight.

"Boss!" A guard called him over.

Anson hustled over to him on the opposite side of the room.

"Michael says the girl tried to escape tonight with one of Jake's pals." The guard whispered quietly to him, thinking that I couldn't hear him.

"Fuck." Anson cursed quietly, but angrily.

"And Boss," the guard's tone was serious, "Even with everything happening here with Grayson, _you're gonna wanna speak with Michael tonight_."

They exchanged glances which made my stomach drop.

* * *

The hour-long car ride back to Anson's mansion was dead silent. We left shortly after Grayson was taken away in the ambulance. Anson's intense emotions saturated the air of the packed vehicle.

The two vehicles, our SUV and the gold Chevy, pulled up the long driveway towards the mansion before stopping in front of the house. Everyone but the two drivers poured out of the vehicles before rushing into the house. I followed Anson and the guards, hastily climbing the stone steps toward the entryway. Anson led the way through the house, towards loud voices and an eerie noise that I couldn't quite place.

My wolf was snarling at me to turn back and go outside.

_Screw that_.

The group stopped in one of the offices, which looked like a tornado had passed through…

…Or just a really pissed-off wolf.

Paul's body was wrapped in large, silver chains which were equivalent to the size of my arms. Every time he moved the chains would clink together, which was the noise I hadn't been able place earlier. Several chains snaked around his legs which were being pulled taunt by two men holding desperately onto each clump of metal. I could smell the blood and noted the dark stains on the tan cut-offs he was wearing.

I also took note that Lexi was not present in the room.

"Is _all_ that really necessary?" Anson asked at the excess of chains snaked around Paul's torso and arms.

My wolf warned me excessively to keep my distance from my pack brother. She advised again that I leave the house, but my I felt anger building in my heart at the way Paul was being treated.

"Yes, Boss," A ruffled guard huffed, "You should have seen it. It wasn't—"

"Hello, Leah." A cocky tone completely saturated Paul's voice.

I shivered at weight in it. The voice that came from Paul sounded like it belonged to a psychopath instead of the man I knew before me.

I was afraid because my wolf was terrified—completely frozen from fear. It didn't help that the room went completely silent when evil-Paul had spoken. His pitch-black eyes felt like they bored holes in to me with how intensely he watched my frozen form.

"Tsk, tsk," he clicked his tongue, "Breaking away from us. What did you think would happen?"

"What do you mean?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

"Don't give me that bullshit, I see your eyes. Such a lovely color." He smirked, "It doesn't fit you."

I decided not to answer him. Why was he having this conversation here? In front of the humans?

"Outside of the collective, now, huh?" he taunted, "You won't last a week."

I ignored his comment, I had no idea what he was talking about. I did know one thing, though, I knew I wasn't currently speaking with Paul.

"Where's Paul?" I asked.

"He's in here," He smirked like a lunatic, "somewhere."

"Where's Sam?" I asked, worried.

"Not in the picture." evil-Paul shrugged nonchalantly.

My stomach dropped. Even after everything that has happened; I didn't want anyone— other than myself— to harm Sam.

"What did you do to him?" I asked, afraid of his answer.

"_I_… didn't do anything." He smirked sardonically.

"Where is Sam?" I pressed.

"Come back to us and you'll be able to spend as much time as you want with him." evil-Paul declared with a smirk.

I wanted to rip his smug face off, but my wolf would let out an earsplitting howl if I even considered taking a step in Paul's direction.

"Oh, come on, Leah." evil-Paul continued to taunt, "You're better off and _safer_ with us…"

I didn't know what to say.

"If you're not _with _us then you're _against_ us." Paul glared.

Anson's fist connected with Paul's face which snapped down from the force of it. I could smell the blood that leaked from Paul's newly busted lip. I was astonished that Anson was able to harm Paul, but realized it was only because Anson had a set of brass knuckles around his hand. Paul cackled like a crazy person in response to Anson's violence. He lifted his face up for Anson to see his lip heal at a shape-shifter speed.

"What are you?" Anson asked.

"None of your concern." evil-Paul hissed lowly at Anson. Then he turned his head toward me, "Leah, come back to us."

I could tell it had the weight of an alpha order, but it didn't reach me. I was no longer pack.

"What about Lexi?" I asked.

If he wanted me to join him, did he think that through?

"I cannot leave home right now." He enunciated.

"What?"

I was beyond confused.

"My mate." evil-Paul furrowed his brow.

"What?!" I exclaimed, "What about Rachel?"

"Rachel is Paul's." He shook his head, "Tsk. Not the smartest female I've come across."

_What was that supposed to mean?_

"Explain." I demanded with the weight of an alpha order behind it.

"No. I don't think I will." evil-Paul smirked. "Do I have to spell it out for you, it still doesn't change that _I cannot leave_. Not now at least. I will send Embry and Seth here instead, since I can no longer trust you."

"You can trust them, but not me?" I asked, confused.

evil-Paul huffed rolling his eyes, "You really are the _stupidest _bitch I've come across."

"Oi!" Anson shouted before he pushed a little black box against evil-Paul's neck. Paul's entire body tensed as he screamed in agony through clenched teeth.

Anson had just tased evil-Paul, who fell to his side after Anson removed the taser against his skin.

"Modified cattle prod." Anson smirked.

I looked down at Paul, who was gasping for air. That's when I saw the chocolate-brown irises.

"Paul!" I threw myself at his side, "Paul, is that you?"

Paul gave me his typical, non-psychotic, cocky smile as he looked me over, "What are you wearing, Leah?"

"Paul what happened?" I asked, out of breath.

"I didn't know you were into that BDSM shit, Leah." Paul stated, eyeing the chains wrapped around his body.

"Paul—"

"I'm sorry, but I don't swing like that." Paul interrupted while cheesing like a fool.

"PAUL!"

"What?!" Paul hissed, "Fuck, keep your voice down."

"What happened?" I growled inpatiently.

"You tell me, sister," Paul struggled against the chains, "I'm the one all bonded up."

Paul's eyes spotted Anson.

"Hey, Anson," Paul greeted casually before turning back to me, "Leah, you really are more freaky than Sam _ever_ suggested."

"He doesn't know anything." I huffed to myself as I stood up.

"Hey, what do you say you get these chains off me?" Paul suggested with a joking tone, "I promise I'll be good."

"No." I growled, frustrated.

Like a feral dog, suddenly gone rabid, Paul snarled and launched himself towards me. I could see the black already invaded the color of his eyes. With an involuntary yelp, I jumped out of his reach, but the guards were not suspecting the sudden attack. The guards fell forward while loosening their grip on the chains. I kicked out, sending Paul into an adjacent wall which splintered from the impact.

He grumbled, disoriented from the blow, I took advantage of his misfortune and straddled his back while he was face-down. I wrapped one of the chains tightly around his neck.

He choked and sputtered, but was able to get a few words out:

"Kill. Him. Dare."

I immediately loosened the chain, causing evil-Paul to gasp for breath. Ten seconds passed where I had complete control, but then Paul flung his arm back as far as he could causing the chain wrapped around it to whip back and hit me across the head.

* * *

Blurry.

_Where was I?_

"She's coming around."

I blinked rapidly, trying to see clearly. My eyes were finally able to focus on a pair of shiny, black shoes. The smell of blood hung thickly in the air.

"Paul?" I croaked.

"Don't worry about it, precious." I heard Anson's voice.

I had a splitting headache, but I could tell I was still in the same room that as earlier. I sat up slowly causing the world to spin rapidly. Cool hands gripped my shoulders, keeping me steady, but it still felt like I was on a rollercoaster. My hair was caked in a warm liquid. That combined with the smell of blood informed me that I had suffered a serious head injury.

"Let's let her recover a little more." Anson suggested.

I closed my eyes and someone handed me a glass of water.

Without any thought, I took a large gulp…

…noting the funny taste in the water.

"What?"

Everything went black again.

* * *

Hey there guys. The next chapter is going to be really important. You know this is a Leah/OC fic... we have not yet met this "OC".

Tell me what you think.


	4. Chapter 3: Well Enough Alone

**Thank you guys for reviewing. Hope you like this chapter. Please tell me what you think of both OCs. **

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**Chapter 3**:** Well Enough Alone**

Splitting headache.

I could hear the heavy downpour of rain from outside before I opened my eyes.

I woke up face-down with my cheek pressed against cool cement, still wearing the skimpy, sequin shirt and skinny jeans that I had changed into.

_Fuck me sideways_, I had the worst headache _ever_. In fact, my entire body ached from lying on the hard, cold cement beneath me—it appeared that I was in some sort of basement. Large pillars obstructed my limited view as I took in the confining cemented room around me. The only lighting came from a florescent lamp, dangling precariously from the low ceiling.

There was a bright red light coming from a security camera pointed in my direction. I also noted the restraints surrounding my right wrist combined with the warped steel collar locked around my neck binding me to the cement beneath me—I knew I wasn't going to be waltzing out of this dingy basement anytime soon.

My wolf was furious that someone had the nerve to lock us up down here. Once we found out who did this to us, she would take care of the rest.

_In other words_, rip his dick off and shove it down his throat.

I was fucking _pissed_ and to hell if I was just going to sit here. I was ready to go sniff out the motherfucker who did this to me. My body, however, had yet to catch up with my plan. I attempted to push myself upright, but I felt considerably weak, like I had lost a lot of blood while I was unconscious. My arms felt like wet spaghetti noodles. On top of that, I was hungry.

I was _so hungry_.

I groaned as my stomach twisted painfully.

A loud bang, interrupted my thoughts of food, I recognized the sound of a heavy door opening. Footsteps sounded from the stairs to my right as someone descended down into the basement.

A well dressed, blond man stood at the base of the stairs along with another man holding a rather large automatic weapon. The well dressed man was extremely tall compared to the other, towering over him to the point where it was almost comical.

"Hello, Leah," The man spoke calmly, "I'm glad to see you're awake."

There were a lot of things I would have just loved to say back to the giant, but I held my tongue.

"Who are you?" my voice rasped out, making me sound weak.

"That is not important," the man sighed nonchalant before continuing, "What _is_ important is: _What are you?_"

I opened my mouth to spit out a nasty comeback, but he interrupted, "Before you deny anything, I want you to know that I'm already aware that you aren't human, so again: _What are you?_"

I glared at him as he stood unnaturally patient, his crystal-like blue eyes stared right back. My gut instincts screamed at me that there was _something_ different about him. However, my wolf was snarling with raised hackles, still wanting to rip the man's dick off.

The muscles in my neck started to tremble as I tried to hold my head off the hard concrete. However, I was so weak that I soon wouldn't be able to hold my head up anymore. With considerable effort, I rolled myself over onto my back so I could stare up at the pale man towering over me. The man's skin was so white that he could pass for a cold one. However, I could hear his heart beating strong and clear in this chest.

He continued to stare down at me with indifference.

"I understand that you heal quickly." The man spoke as he continued to stare without blinking.

It made my skin crawl, but I continued to stare back with the same intensity. I wasn't going to let another human make me feel weak like this.

"Does that mean you don't age either?" He asked with his penetrating stare.

_Why was he asking these questions? How was he so calm and collected? Maybe he is a psychopath… _

He nodded almost as if he was answering my question, but really, I had answered him in some way because he asked…

"How old are you?" he interrogated, never breaking eye contact, as he sat on his heels and balanced on his toes.

I could hear his heart rate increase for the first time, I had peaked his interest. My chapped lips twitched as I fought the urge to smirk. He was showing all of his cards, at this rate I would have his hand by the time he was through with me. The room became dead silent, enough that I could hear the rain pouring down outside. The man's face twitched infinitesimally, indicating he was agitated by my silence on this particular question.

The man stood up from his crouched position, "So you're Native American?"

I didn't answer.

"I also understand that your eyes change color," The man stated.

_Anson must have told him_.

"Where is Anson?" I asked wincing at the sound of my hoarse voice.

_I was going to rip off that smug bastard's motherfucking head. _

"You are mistaken if you think you are in any position to be asking questions." The man snapped at me.

"Well, good luck getting any answers to _your_ questions." I snapped back.

The man glared down at me with a furrowed brow, "Fine." He spat angrily, "Anson is back in Seattle. You have other things to worry about, little girl." I watched his face relax as he asked me again, "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty." I barked impatiently.

His reaction to my answer was confusing; he looked…_disappointed_.

_Why was my age so fucking important to him?_

"You said Anson was _back _in Seattle, then where are we?"

"Chicago." The man answered quickly, irritated; and eager to ask another question.

_Chicago! How the fuck did I get here?_

I shouted angrily at him, "Why are you keeping me here?"

I could feel my wolf getting even more riled up, putting me on edge.

"One question at a time," The man ignored my angry demeanor, "Paul, is he like you?"

"I'm not going to answer that."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." The man stated, "For your safety, Paul made it clear that he could no longer trust you. He said, 'If you're not with us then you're—"

"I know what he said!" I shouted hoarsely.

"I understand that Jacob and Sam are like you as well?"

"It's my turn," I seethed.

"Fine."

"Why am I here?"

The man chuckled hotly, as if amused by the idea, "Anson asked me to do this as a favor… he owes _me_ now…"

"…What are you?"

My teeth ground together as I clenched my jaw. I refused to answer that question.

"Fine, you won't answer that question," The man sighed as he begun to walk backwards towards the stairs, "Understandable, but I have someone that you should meet, then we'll see what you have to say."

The armed man followed him up the stairs—wherever that led.

I was left alone with several questions circling around in my head.

_How long would they keep me down here for? What day was it? Where is Lexi? Who was that guy?_

I have never been so exhausted in my entire life. After everything that happened; splitting from Sam's pack, working for Anson, and the incident with evil-Paul…I could barely lift a finger without considerable effort.

Plus, keeping my eyes to stay open was a feat amongst itself.

So I didn't bother trying…

…Eventually sleep took me.

* * *

_BANG! BANG! _

"Come on, Nick."

_Ugh!_ _What does someone have to_ _do to get a little peace and quiet around here? Damn!_

My wolf whimpered from her curled up position, she was just as weak and tired as me.

I tried to ignore the spreading ache that was eating at my sore muscles and frozen joints. The combination of the rat's nest on top of my head and the fact that my mouth was as dry as sawdust meant that I have been lying on the basement floor for _way too fucking long._

_Was it possible that I felt even worse than I did before I slept_?

I felt light-headed as the world tilted and spun like a carnival ride. I started to fade back out.

"Hey!" A masculine voice urged as warm fingers brushed my cheeks.

My chin was being lifted up by two warm hands, I struggled to open my eyes and struggled harder to keep them open as I looked at the beautiful man before me.

_Holy shit, what a fine specimen. _

A loose tuff of sleek brown hair barely reached his dark, brown eyes that were drawing me in. Before I knew it I was completely lost in the brown orbs. But, no matter how much I wanted to keep my eyes open, I couldn't. I felt warm hands caressing over my head and noted the sound of him taking a long, deep inhale through his nose.

_Was he sniffing me?_

"Are you _wolf_?" The man asked me outside of human-hearing range in case he was wrong.

My wolf's ears perked up in response to the question.

"Ugh." I replied weakly, unable to get out anything more than that.

He started sniffing me again, scenting my greasy hair. If I had the energy to, I would have smacked him away. Thankfully, he left my side, I heard his retreating footsteps echo in the tiny basement.

"Hey! Could we get some water down here at least?"

_Who was he talking to?_

"Come on!" The man shouted to no one.

Apparently not, because a couple seconds later the door on the top of the stairs opened with a bang. I heard the man dart towards the stairs as if attempting to get to the top before the door shut. Something clattered on the floor as if it had been thrown in, then the door slammed to a close.

"Hey! HEY!" The man shouted, frustrated as he pounded on the now closed door.

I could tell that he had given up on his attempt to get the person back in the room because his footsteps resonated as he approached me. I didn't bother to acknowledge his presence and remained limply sprawled out on the cold floor even as he took a seat on the cement floor next to my head. That's when I smelled the tempting scent of bread, turkey meat, lettuce, and mayonnaise.

Don't get me wrong. Mayonnaise is one of the most _disgusting_ condiments on the face of the earth, but I'd gladly take it now in my weakened state. I let a desperate whimper escape through my chapped lips.

"Shh," The man soothed as he lifted my head up onto his muscular thigh—which served as my pillow for the time being.

_I wasn't complaining._

"Open up." The man urged with a deep voice.

_Mmm, what a voice!_

I parted my lips slightly in response to the moist lunch meat teasing them. Underneath the intense smell of the juicy turkey meat, I could smell the unmistakable scent of freshly cut wood on his hands. He must be a carpenter or a construction worker. I didn't have the energy to chew the piece of meat that was placed in my mouth. _Fuck it._ I just swallowed it whole.

"There you go." The man whispered encouragingly as he fed me a small piece of bread.

My stomach tightened painfully at the long forgotten intrusion of food. _How long had it been since I had eaten? How long have I been down here?_

"That's it." He spoke softly as I swallowed the piece of sandwich bread.

He continued to feed me like a child, but I was so weak and so desperately hungry that I could really have cared less. Some time while he was feeding me I must have faded out because when I woke the man's heart rate had slowed dramatically and his breathing pattern suggested he had fallen asleep.

I opened my eyes and lifted my head from his warm thigh, straining my neck to get a good look at the man's face. I noted the short growth of facial hair covering his throat and face. _Had that been there before?_ He was a pale-face, but his skin was nicely tanned. His brown hair was begging for me to run my fingers through the fine locks, which fell passed his ears, but didn't quite reach his broad, muscular shoulders. I allowed my head to fall back onto his jean-clad thigh, noticing the slight wear of the material over his knees and the paint stain at the bottom of the pant leg. That plus the smell of freshly cut wood that surrounded him and the tan work-boots laced up his feet suggested that he worked construction_._

The man started to stir, so I quickly pushed myself up and away from him so I wasn't all up in his space. Annoyed at the shackles that surrounded my wrist and neck which I had completely forgotten about. As he woke, his solid, enormous muscles tensed and rippled to the point where it made _me_ swoon. His surprised dark eyes met my blue.

"Hey." He cleared his throat, "You're up."

"How long has it been?" I asked, fearful of the answer.

"Since I got here it has been two days." The man grumbled in annoyance.

The man pulled his long, outstretched legs closer towards him, bracing his elbow against his knee he covered his mouth with his large hand. "You shifter?" The man cleared his throat, eyes darting to the security camera posted near the ceiling.

"Are you?" I mumbled after following his lead, turning my back to the camera so no one could tell we were having a conversation.

His intense brown eyes met my gaze before he nodded once in confirmation, then asked me, "How?"

"How what?"

The man mumbled so quietly, but it sounded like he asked; "Bitten or birth?"

"I was not bitten." I whispered back.

"So birth?" he asked while he attempted to discretely cover his entire face with his enormously muscled arm in attempt to cover the excitement in his eyes.

"It's more complicated than that." I replied, "You? Birth?"

"Yes." He whispered back, "I've been wolf my whole life."

"Not me. A year."

This surprised him, "Explain." He mouthed.

"There's a trigger."

"Are there others?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Females?"

I felt the stab of loneliness envelop me. "No. You?"

"Only males."

His answer only induced more pain and increased my devastation. _Was I really alone? _I turned my head away from him as salty tears formed in my eyes. My wolf whimpered in response to my pain as she tried to comfort me in her own way, but it didn't help.

Suddenly, his warm chest pressed up my back surprising me, I hadn't heard him move. He pulled me in towards him so eventually I sat across his lap with my tear-stained face pressed against the flannel shirt he was wearing. We both ignored the chains that connected my wrist and neck to the cement.

"Shh," He rocked me slightly while he whispered, "Chère, you can't cry, there's no water. You'll get even more dehydrated."

I tried to contain the tears, but it wasn't something that could be stopped. The floodgates had already opened. I felt embarrassed for not being able control my emotions better, but the subject was a soft spot for me. _I was a freak_.

"According to my ancestors, we are the descendants of Fenrir. All of my brothers and cousins have our blood traced back to Sköll and Hati, the two sons of Fenrir…"

His voice was soothing and distracting me from my tears as I wanted to listen to his ancestors' story.

"…According to human legends, Fenrir was ferocious and unpredictable, thus the gods wanted to bind him. The gods made special bindings to entrap our ancestor, but his strength was too great and he was able to break each bond. It took the god's four attempts until they successfully bound him. With the help of his sons he would break free. Stronger than ever, he would kill the god, Odin, only to be in turn killed by Odin's son."

He continued to whisper his story to me, his breath tickling over my ear.

"According to the bloodlines, I am a descendant of Sköll, the one who chases the sun across the sky each day. I, as well as my brothers, are strengthened by sunlight. Whereas the descendants of Hati, chase the moon and are strengthened by the presence of the night." He chuckled darkly before continuing, "Don't confuse them with the Children of the Moon. They get pissed when outsiders do that. Unlike them, we shift into our true wolf form whenever we want. However the urge to shift is greater in either night or day depending on who your ancestor is."

"That is how I know it is daytime, the urge to shift is strong. I haven't shifted in three days. That is a long time for us to be in our human forms."

He stopped whispering in my ear, as if lost in thought, however, my ear felt cold from having his warm breath no longer wafting over it.

"How many of you are there?" I asked gently.

"There are almost one hundred of us. All live within a day's run from another pack-brother in case you need help. Our territory stretches across Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. We enjoy running together sometimes, but on the other hand we need our space."

"That's crazy. There are only eight of us."

"Damn." He whispered incredulous.

"Is there anything else you can do besides shift into wolf?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Like, you said your ancestor was very strong—"

"Oh," he cut me off, "Yeah, we all are much stronger physically than the humans and bigger than your average wolf. I mean Fenrir could kill gods, you'd gotta be big and strong to do that. You?"

"Yes, my pack-brothers and I are quite strong and our wolves are quite large too."

"After we get you better, we should have a wrestling match to see who would win." He joked.

I scoffed, but let a smile grace my lips anyway while shaking my head.

"What's your name?" he asked out of the blue.

"Leah." I replied, "You?"

"Alarik. It's a pleasure to meet you, Leah."

_Alarik. I never met anyone named Alarik. It suits him._

"I assume your pack is pretty protective of you, you think they're out looking for you?"

I scoffed loudly, "No."

"I think you'd be surprised. A woman like you, I'd never let outta my sight."

"What?" I spoke loudly, disbelieving.

"Beautiful woman." He spoke aloud, but whispered, "Wolf… That's a deal-breaker, right there. We have laws… we aren't allowed to tell any potential mates about our true nature until they are pregnant with any male pups. We've had some bad shit go down in the past."

"Really? That seems—"

"Ridiculous. I know, but when you've had almost your entire pack hunted down and tortured and killed off by a group of villagers, you'd understand. This way, the mother is pulled in because her own son is involved. No decent mother would give up her own child."

"Doesn't that cause a strain on the relationship?"

"One hundred percent of the time. Especially to those who only have daughters, your husband continuously runs off for hours at a time and he doesn't tell you where he's really going. That's why we create alibis for each other, saying we have a second job or 'guy time'. Another reason we stick close together. Back up the other's story to the woman."

"Shit." I exclaimed.

It became silent between us for couple seconds, during this time, his heart rate increased dramatically and tightened his hold around me.

"You have a boyfriend?" He asked suddenly.

"No." I replied, knowing exactly where he was going with this.

"When we get out. Dinner. You and me." He stated.

"Excuse me?" _He didn't even ask. He just demanded._ "A guy like you? You have got to have a girlfriend. Don't lie."

"You got me. I'm not going to lie. I have a girlfriend, but come on. You know what it's like…having to keep a huge part of who you are from someone who is supposed to be so close to you. It's unbearable. It eats away at the relationship, constantly lying to her. I've lost so many relationships that way."

I was silent. He had backed me into a corner there.

"How long have you been with her?" I asked.

He sighed and his body sagged, "Two years."

"Fuck no." I replied immediately.

"It doesn't matter what you say," he spoke cockily; "I'll break up with her when we get outta here. You can't say 'no' forever."

"You're a fool, Alarik."

"I know, but I'm an irresistible fool."

I scoffed again, pushing myself from his hold on me. He released his hold on me with a playful pout gracing his features.

"Stop that, before I smack that look off your face, asshole."

He beamed at me and I rolled my eyes. We sat silently for several minutes exchanging glances at each other. He really was a looker. _A real man_. Hard worker, obviously, his hands were calloused and his skin had seen a lot of sun.

"How old are you?" I asked.

He smirked cockily, "Twenty-nine."

"What?!" I exclaimed, he looked _and_ _acted_ a lot younger than that.

"What?" he held up his hands in mock defense, "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty!" I exclaimed. "You're nine years older than me."

"If it makes you feel better I just turned twenty-nine two weeks ago." He chuckled jokingly. Not perturbed by the age difference between us.

The door at the top of the stairs opened with a bang. Both our heads snapped up in response. Alarik jumped to his feet and reached the bottom of the stairs before he stopped abruptly, putting his hands up. He obediently stepped backwards towards me as the tall man from before came down with a handgun pointed directly at Alarik.

"So I take it you're like him then." the man stated without doubt, "I know Alarik and he wouldn't be asking you out like that if there wasn't something special about you."

My eyes darted to Alarik, who looked beyond pissed. His upper lip was curled up into a sneer. _If _they did know each other_, _the terms weren't exactly friendly.

"So you're wolf then?" The tall man asked with an excited smile.

Alarik growled lowly at him.

The man laughed gleefully in response, "I knew you were different, but I had no idea..." he laughed again, "…Obviously, I won't tell Anson those details, I'd have a hundred angry wolves on my hands if I did that!"

Alarik snarled.

"Quiet!" The tall man shouted at him before turning towards me, "I'll just be leaving now, someone from Anson's staff will find you, don't worry."

He started to walk back towards the stairs.

"You can't leave her chained up like this!" Alarik shouted.

"Oh, right," The man smirked, "The key is somewhere upstairs in the kitchen, Alarik. I'm sure you'll find them in no time."

With that, I heard the tall man's footsteps retreating and eventually disappearing.

"I'll be right back!" Alarik shouted back at me before he ran up the stairs.

* * *

Please tell me what you think of Alarik and how his pack was created.


	5. Chapter 4: Waking Up

Sorry about having to wait so long for an update. I was out of the country for a month, busy. Hopefully I can squeeze a couple more chapters out for you guys. I made this one a little longer for you guys. Tell me what you think.

**Warning: This chapter contains violence. **It is very dark too, but Leah cannot fix all of her problems overnight. And they cannot be brushed under the rug either, but faced head on.

**Language** too, so if that bugs you, don't read.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Waking up**

Listening to Alarik shuffle about upstairs, I could hear objects crashing about in his haste. At least this way, I knew that he hadn't left me down in this basement. My patience however was wearing so thin that I felt like it was only a matter of time before I snapped. My hunger was like pouring a can of gasoline on an already raging fire. I was fuming, unable to move far because of the metal chains binding me to this dingy basement. It had been at least ten minutes since he told me "he'd be back". I heard a door slam upstairs, the echo resonated throughout the house followed by a deafening silence. I fidgeted nervously.

Did he just leave?

_Fucking hell_.

I had to breathe deeply several times to soothe the panic that rose within my entire body. I tugged on my hair, discovering several knots which I attempted to undo. I remained in my crouched position for at least 10 minutes untangling my hair. During this time several scenarios played through my head. What if I died down here? I don't know how long it took a wolf to starve to death, but I'm pretty sure that it was faster than a human. We had to eat so much to maintain our high body temperatures. Would Anson's staff come looking for me? How long would they wait?

More time passed before a thought crossed my mind. Why didn't I just phase? Wouldn't that break off the metal collar around my neck? I was processing how I would take off my shirt with the chains around my neck and wrist when I remembered the security camera in the corner of the room. I couldn't risk phasing in front of a video camera, anyone could be watching right now. However…

It was close enough that if I could throw my shirt over the camera… I mean the shirt was sequined, making it rough on the outside, hopefully I could get it to cover the lens so I could phase. However, I would have to rip my shirt to get it off me. I had chains linking me by my wrist and neck to the wall preventing me from just slipping the shirt over my head.

Also, what if Alarik came back? I would be without a shirt.

_Hell_. _Get out of here in the next couple minutes and you won't have to worry about him anymore, _I told myself. I'll just break free and make my way back to Washington.

I ripped my shirt down the seam on the side. I wasn't wearing a bra underneath it, but whatever, who cares… if I had to choose between giving the camera a peep show or staying down here for another hour, I would choose the prior. I threw the piece of cloth at the camera, squealing like a girl in triumph when the shirt landed perfectly over the lens. Finally, my luck had turned. I did an internal victory dance before I stripped off my skinny jeans and underwear.

I phased. The metal tore with a high-pitched screech, freeing me from this hellhole. I felt weak as my wolf legs shook underneath my weight. My muscles were in dire need of energy, maybe there was food upstairs… A girl can hope.

I phased back to human—

—and I heard the door upstairs open and I could hear a man's heavy breath and pounding heart.

"Fuck." I exclaimed as my heart skipped.

Heavy footsteps sprinted upstairs toward the door leading down here. I snatched my pants from off the grimy ground and my hands trembled like leaves from the anxiety and hunger. When I had stripped off my skinny jeans, they had turned completely inside-out. To top that off my underwear still had each pant leg through it and I wouldn't have time to get my underwear untangled _and_ cover myself up. So I just decided to cover myself as best I could with my pants as Alarik came sprinting down the stairs.

"Leah, I—"

Of course, he stopped midsentence as he realized I wasn't wearing any clothes. He was panting heavily and he was gripping tightly onto a large sledgehammer.

I swallowed uncomfortably as he stood like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I-I-I see you…got yourself free." He stuttered with a pause in between to catch his breath.

I nodded like an idiot while clutching my pants close to my chest.

"Well," He looked down at the sledgehammer, "I guess I don't need this anymore." He said jokingly, "I'll just go… return it."

He turned to go back up the stairs.

"Wait!" I exclaimed once a thought crossed my mind. "Can I have your shirt?"

"M-my shirt?" he asked as his fingers tugged nervously on the flannel material.

"Yeah," I mumbled, "I, uh, ripped mine."

"Oh." He replied before clearing his throat. "Sure." He began to unbutton the shirt, exposing the white wife-beater below.

I couldn't help but notice the size of his muscle on his upper body. His arms were larger than Embry and Jared, but smaller than Quil and Paul's. I couldn't help but notice how massive he was, but he wasn't tall like the guys, he was just right…

He stood for a moment holding the flannel shirt in his hands as we stared at each other.

"Right." He coughed as he began to set the shirt down on the ground, obviously I couldn't grab it because my hands were currently tied up, figuratively speaking. He set the cream-colored shirt on the dirty ground before picking up the sledgehammer and making his way back up the stairs.

I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding as I put my underwear, pants, and his shirt on. I made my way up the stairs to see the interior of a small, country-style kitchen. There were small objects scattering the floor and all the drawers and cupboards were ajar. My eyes zeroed in on the refrigerator. Before I realized what I was doing I ripped the door of the appliance open in haste. My heart sank to see the meager contents on the shelves; there wasn't much to choose from. There was a small unmistakable cardboard container of Chinese food, a partial head of lettuce, and a jar of mayonnaise.

I wolfed down the half empty chow mein with my bare hands, barely chewing the soft, thick noodles. I moved onto the lettuce, shoving it into my mouth like a cartoon. When I had consumed every last bit, I wrung my hands, eyeing the jar of mayonnaise. I shivered just thinking about eating it, but my stomach growled in hunger, convincing me. I snatched it and ripped the lid off before attempting to swallow the disgusting condiment like a glass of water. I endured through it as the slimy texture slid down my throat, not stopping until I needed air.

When I lowered the jar from my face, I saw Alarik standing in the kitchen entrance. I turned towards him slowly, like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I was embarrassed that someone caught me drinking mayonnaise.

However, Alarik was obviously not disgusted with my behavior and was currently staring intensely. He looked seriously _hungry_—looking at me like a piece of meat—to the point where it was starting to border on the lines of fucking creepy. On one hand it was nice to be admired from such a fuck-hot guy, but on the other, it made me feel like I was a piece of juicy steak. I honestly couldn't handle eating any more of the off-white, slimy condiment, so I chucked the jar at his head. Smiling as the plastic successfully made contact with his thick head and bounced. My actions, however, had sent mayonnaise flying everywhere, resulting in a growling wolf on my hands. I mean, the asshole could have easily caught it if he had only been paying attention.

I couldn't dampen the shivers that took over me in response to the guttural growls coming from his chest. My inner wolf purred uncharacteristically as she stirred in excitement—the slut.

He approached quickly without hesitation, like a predator. I lifted my upper lip as warning, but he continued his approach and invaded my space. I slapped one of his hands away as he reached for my throat, but his other hand was already entangled in my hair. He grabbed one of my wrists as he pulled roughly on my hair, causing me to expose my throat. He shoved my back against the white countertop beside me, effectively trapping me. I grabbed his wrist in attempt to lessen the pain he was causing by pulling on my hair. I didn't like it one bit, but my inner wolf was a whole different matter.

Ever since the evening I met Lexi, I could feel her more closely. She was just beneath the surface as of late, and it made it difficult and confusing to decide now what I should do. She was thrilled with how quickly he had overpowered us. And I…

I was _fucking pissed._

"Get off!" I growled through clenched teeth.

"Stop fighting your wolf, Leah, I can see she likes me." Alarik smirked like the asshole he was, "I can feel it."

I squirmed underneath his grasp only causing him to press himself more firmly into me. I could feel the evidence of his arousal pressed against my leg and his warm breath against my neck. Half of me was pissed beyond belief, and the other half—the wolf—was extremely turned on.

The pissed off side won.

I saw red and I didn't even try to stop the process as I felt myself shake from anger.

_CRACK!_

I phased in the blink of an eye, not giving a damn if Alarik got clawed in the process. It was his own damn fault for forcing himself on me. As far as I was concerned, he got what was coming to him.

He however was able to get away from my razor sharp claws. I snarled in frustration as I looked at him from his exposed position on the linoleum floor. He had fallen back on his ass and was currently struggling to gain distance between us.

"Holy shit." He exclaimed, breathless, "You turned fast."

_That's right! You motherfucker!_

Now I advanced on him like the predator. I wanted him to piss himself silly for pulling that shit.

"Damn, girl." He spoke with awe as he panted, "You're beautiful."

My wolf was pleased with his statement, but was still willing to have some fun while I got my revenge.

His face fell slightly as I snapped my teeth, almost sensing that my wolf and I had agreed to get my payback. He bolted towards the front door, but he was no match for me as I easily bit onto his pant leg, effectively tripping him. He fell on his hands and before he knew it, I was dragging him along the hardwood floor of the entryway. He clawed hopelessly at the air in search for anything to grab onto. I started to drag his ass up the flight of stairs. My large back paw kicked back accidently breaking off the handrail in the process. The wood snapped like a twig and the entire beam crashed down into the entryway.

He grabbed onto one of the broken beams just as I tugged on him, causing the beam to snap and his jeans to tear. He suddenly whipped the wood plank around, hitting me over the head with it. I hadn't been expecting the wood splintering from the impact. It only hurt slightly, but it had effectively pissed both me and my wolf off and we swiped at him with our paw. This resulted in him flying into the opposite wall before falling 6 feet down to the entryway floor on top of the handrail.

He cursed as I heard a pop.

We jumped down on top of him with an aggravated growl. He held his wrist tenderly to his chest.

"Get off!" He spat.

_Oh? Does he expect me to just comply? What did he do when I wanted him to get off me? _He taunted me_. Let's see how he likes it._

I sank my canines carefully into his pants over his hip and I placed a large paw over his stomach. I used the leverage to tear his jeans. He grunted as he struggled underneath the pressure of my paw. He wiggled himself out of his jeans and out from under my paw, not without accidently scratching himself on one of my claws in his haste.

Now in just a pair of grey boxer-briefs and work boots, he scowled back at me as blood stained his wife-beater. I just glared back at him tauntingly with his ruined jeans still in my mouth.

"Bitch."

_What did he just call me?_

I wasn't going to let him get away with that.

I dropped his jeans.

He could see immediately that he shouldn't have called me that. He bolted as quickly as he could with me nipping at his heels. For some reason he headed back into the kitchen. I realized why when I skidded on the mayonnaise and linoleum floor. Even though my sharp claws gave me some traction, I still slammed into the refrigerator. He bought himself some extra time to get into a bathroom. The door was too small for my wolf to fit through easily. So I phased back, not at all worried about my nakedness. I ripped the door off its hinges and threw it aside only to see a black muzzle lash out toward my face. I closed my eyes reflexively, but that didn't stop his teeth from digging into my cheeks and scalp.

I felt a searing pain throughout my scalp and face. Then the warm liquid came dripping down my face and the smell of my blood filled my entire senses. I bit back my screams, I didn't want him to know how absolutely panicked I was. I thrashed out wildly because I couldn't see anything through the blood. I finally caught my bearings because I could hear Alarik's wolf whimpering from inside the bathroom. I needed to get the hell away from here. I fumbled towards the kitchen, slipping on some mayonnaise.

Both my wolf and I were completely panicked, wishing we had just accepted Paul's offer. No matter how insane. _We would have been safe!_ I could hear snapping, cracking, and popping behind me, frightening us and spurring me towards the front door.

I stubbed my toe into one of the wood planks, so I assumed I must be in the entryway.

"Leah," Alarik's voice shouted, "STOP!"

I panicked and tried to wipe the blood from my eyes, only to result in more burning, agonizing pain. I must have accidently touched one of my wounds. All of the sudden, Alarik's arms snaked around me, lifting me off my feet.

"Leah, stop!" he shouted, his voice cracking and breaking, "I'm so s-sorry! Just let me look and see how bad the damage is!"

I fought against his grip on me.

"Leah! Stop, _please!_" he begged, "You're going to bleed to death!"

He got me pinned down on the floor, "Fuck." he whimpered like an injured puppy, "I'm so sorry, Leah." I heard his voice break as he sniffed.

_Was he crying?_

"Just let me get a towel." He pleaded.

He begun to loosen his grip on me and launched myself away from him with all my might.

"No!" he shouted as he jumped back on me, "Leah, please just stay still!"

I wiggled pathetically against him. I was rapidly depleting any energy I had gained in the past day. I had begun to feel lightheaded so I let myself go limp.

"Leah?" Alarik's heart was thudding rapidly in his chest. Panicking at my sudden lack of struggle, "Leah, say something!"

I didn't want to. I just wanted to pass out.

"Oh, god."

Alarik left briefly before pressing a large towel over my injuries. I let out an involuntary whimper in response to the intense pain.

"Leah, I'm going to go get some help. 'Kay?" I could clearly hear the tears and panic in his voice.

"No." I said clearly as I gripped his hand tightly.

"Leah, you'll die." He protested.

"No." I demanded. "Stay."

"Leah, I can't." he pleaded, "You need help."

"Can't."

_I wanted to stay 'I can't go to the hospital'._

I could feel myself fading fast.

"Promise." I demanded.

"What?"

"Promise."

"Leah, no… _please_." He begged as he sobbed.

"Fucker."

He chuckled darkly between sobs. Silence passed for what seemed like a lifetime.

"I promise." He caved.

I passed out…

* * *

The sun's bright rays casted down on my face. It was warm and pleasant. My entire body felt like butter—soft and melt-y.

_It felt good_.

I better not be fucking dead.

On a fresh-smelling, soft pillow, I turned my head to the side to see a cloudy sky outside the window. The décor around the small bedroom was obviously done by the hands of a woman. The lacy curtains that clung around the window combined with the hand-made quilt covering my body made me think of a grandmother. I had an overwhelming urge to rip the white nightgown that was covering my body. It felt like the little, lacy pink bows covering my body were laughing back at me. If the guys saw me in this, they would never let me forget it. Thinking of the guys made my mind wander towards how I left things back home. I wonder how Seth is doing. I can only hope he is okay.

The floorboards creaked from another part of the house making my heart pick up its pace. I had no idea where I was and it was making me and my wolf nervous and pissed that we kept waking up in foreign territory, out of our element.

Then I heard a muffled voice of an older woman, "Rick, get back here!"

I could hear heavy footsteps rushing towards my direction before the door into the room opened with a bang. I jumped out from under the sheets, surprised to see a rather sick-looking Alarik gasping for breath in the doorway. He looked seriously deranged as he stared at me with wide eyes. I gasped, remembering that he had nearly ripped my face off, causing my hand to fly up to where his teeth had sunk in. My hand trembled as I felt the tender areas on my face. I couldn't imagine what I looked like. I could feel some swelling and scabs running across my face.

_Oh my god. Would I have scars like Emily?_

My eyes darted around the room, looking for a mirror or other type of reflective surface. I didn't see one…

An older lady appeared behind Alarik, she probably wasn't older than seventy. She looked frail in comparison to Alarik whose stocky figure towered over her. She had a teal dress on that went passed her knees, her grey hair was tied back into a bun. She pushed her wire framed glasses further up her nose making me glance into her eyes.

"Oh, good, you're awake." She smiled brightly as she shuffled towards me. "My name is Diane, dear. How do you feel?"

She had an aura about her that made you feel happy to be in her presence and I couldn't help but stare at her. My wolf was intrigued as she cocked her head to the side.

_What was it about her?_

She pulled a black bag from under the bed I was currently crouched on. "Relax, dear." She coaxed me to get out of my defensive posture. She pulled out a thermometer and a stethoscope from the bag before sitting on the edge of the mattress.

"Any pain?" she asked as she placed the stethoscope into her ears.

"No." I replied as I watched her work. She seemed pleased with everything.

"I have to admit that your high temperature was concerning for Rick and I. Does it usually run around 108?"

Rick must be Rik? Short for Alarik?

"Yes."

She nodded. "You really do have a magnificent gift. Rik was so relieved." She spoke before pursing her lips together and glancing back at the man still standing in the doorway.

"Gift?" I asked, sidetracked and confused.

"Your quick healing." Diane said with raised brows.

"Yeah." I mumbled quietly.

I would probably be dead if it weren't for that. How much does this woman know? Does she know about the wolf? Does she know about Alarik?

"Where am I?" I asked.

"Just outside of Fremont, Michigan."

_Damn._ I'm so far away from home. I've never ventured so far from home before, and it pisses me off that none of this is under my control. I doubt that Anson's men are going to find me.

"Can I use your phone?" I ask immediately. I need to call my mom and find out about Seth.

"Who are you going to call?" Alarik asks with a hoarse, raspy voice.

"That is none of your business, boy." Diane scolds him standing abruptly before quickly shuffling over to him before giving him a slap on the back of the head. Alarik's cheeks turn pink in response, "Now give me that darn cell phone and go get a mirror."

He hands over the silver-flip phone to Diane—I take note of the tan brace around his left wrist—shuffling out of the room with one last sad look at me, my stomach drops painfully as I wonder how bad my face looks. The entire time, even though I cannot see her face because her back is turned towards me, Diane must be giving him the "Sue look". I know that look all too well. That look that all mothers have, no matter if it is directed towards their child or another's.

She shuffles towards me in her moccasin-type slippers as she pulled a little stool away from the cherry desk not far from the bed I currently was sitting on. She grabs my hand with her empty one before sitting down on the stool. I feel a weird sensation entering my body through the connection between Diane and I, it's not a bad feeling, but it's indescribable.

"Dear," She whispers under her breath, I doubt that Alarik can hear. "I know that he did this to you, child, and I need to know if you want him to leave the house for the time being."

"I'll be okay." I whisper back towards her as I feel tears prick my eyes. For some reason, the moment her light-green eyes connected with mine, I felt a surge of my emotions from deep within.

I felt so _angry_.

Angry about everything that my spirit wolf has brought upon me and everything she has taken—my father, my freedom, my choices, and my ability to bear children. The last one is like twisting the proverbial blade deeper. The culprit whines in response to my anger towards her.

The feeling that Diane brought within me wasn't like anything I felt before, yet I couldn't tear my eyes away from hers. My wolf felt drawn to her, like a moth to a flame.

"Let me take a look at that ear, dear." She says, breaking me from my trance.

"What ear?" I ask, which sounds ridiculous, then I realize what she's talking about. My right hand moves up to touch my ear, "What happened to it?"

Diane stops me from touching it, "Tsk. Don't touch it dear." She ordered as she examined the tender area.

"What?" I ask again.

"There is about a quarter inch missing from the top." She explains.

"What?!" I exclaim, "What happened to it?"

"You know the answer to that, child." Diane spoke sternly, "The reason I brought it up it that I don't want you to press the phone against it. There is a lot of bacteria on the cell phone." She said as she placed the object in my hand.

She got up before walking from the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. I dialed the Clearwater landline before putting the phone up to my left ear. It rang and rang before I got the answering machine.

"Hey Mom, hey Seth." I sighed, "It's me. I just wanted you to know if you're okay and what is going on with Paul. I'll try to get home as fast as I can, but I don't have any money. You might not be able to reach me for a while so I'll try to call back the next time it's possible… love you guys, bye."

I ended the call before dialing Billy Black's number.

The phone rang before a feminine voice answered, "Hello?"

"Rachael?" I asked.

"Yes?" she replied groggily, "Who is this, and why are you calling so early?"

_Shit!_ I totally forgot about the time zone change. It had to be around 7 or 8 in the morning here. "Sorry, Rachael. It's Leah."

"Leah? Oh fuck. Are you okay? Is Lexi?" She asked.

"Rach, I haven't seen Lexi in a really long time." _Which brought up another question_, "What day is it?"

"What do you mean, its Thursday." She replied.

"No, I mean date. What's the date?"

"October 26th." Rachael sounded pissed, "You haven't been partying have you? Shit, Leah. That is so fucked up, Leah, because the guys have been working their asses off over here! And what are you doing up there? Drinking your sorrows away? Shit, get over it, Sam's just a…!"

My strong grip had caused me to accidently crush the small electronic-device, it didn't stand a chance against an angry wolf.

There was a light knock on my door before it was opened gently to have Alarik slip into the room. My anger completely vanished at the sight of him to be completely replaced with dread. He looked like shit. The dark circles under his eyes combined with the short beard that covered up part of his pale face indicated that several days had passed. His brown hair was sticking up at various angles as if he had been pulling on it and his eyes were severely bloodshot. He had a loose grip on a small, hand-held mirror in his right hand since his other hand was still bound by a brace.

But what really made my heart sink and twist painfully was the tracks of tears flowing down his face in a steady stream.

_Did I really look that bad?_

"You look like shit." I growled.

"Leah… I…"

"Just give me the damn mirror already." I barked impatiently.

He slowly ambled over towards the bed as if trying to delay me from looking at the damage he caused. Once he was close enough, I grabbed the mirror from his hand and angled it before me.

I sighed in relief.

It wasn't as bad as I imagined. I remember seeing Emily in the hospital after Sam attacked her. Compared to that, my face had been attacked by angry bunny-rabbit. Half of Emily's face was completely marred, whereas the majority of my injuries were located behind my hairline. He had clamped down on the sides of my head as if he had been aiming for what would have been my wolf's throat level. I think I was more pissed that my hair had been shaved around each of my injuries, but my hair would grow back. If scars did form, the only visible ones would be located right on top of the joint between my jaw and my head. The other would be just below the hairline on my forehead. They would be easily covered by hair, no doubt about it.

I think the only reason it looked bad was that I had the most awful haircut ever—an extreme mullet. The prickly, short hair in the front didn't cover the long, but nearly healed gashes. The worst of it was the only cut that had been sutured. It was located an inch above my temple. It looked like he had created a large gash with one of his canines which probably had caused my blood to pour into my eyes.

Alarik fell to his knees beside the bed causing me to tear my eyes away from my reflection in the mirror.

"Leah, I'm so sorry." He choked back a sob with a trembling lower lip. He looked so pathetically broken that I felt the need to comfort him.

"It's not that bad, Alarik." I spoke to him sincerity, "I've seen _much _worse."

He looked taken aback from my reaction, like he had been expecting me to scream at him, throw a tantrum, and kick him out. He quickly recovered and fell back into his pity party, "It still doesn't change the fact that I…I…_hurt_ you, Leah."

_It wasn't that bad,_ I thought to myself bitterly. I would go through the physical pain of getting my face torn off every day if it meant that I could go back and never turn into a wolf. I would still have a father, a happy-carefree brother, my entire life ahead of me, and the freedom to go to college and have kids someday.

"That was nothing." I spat darkly, my anger and spite rising to the surface, "You think you hurt me, Alarik? Sure, the pain was excruciating for like, _what?_ Ten minutes? Trust me that was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing, Leah!" Alarik shouted hoarsely as he got to his feet, "You almost _died_! I almost _killed you_!"

This comment picked at the open wound that Rachael's comments caused. Did people I've known my whole life really think so lowly of me? I grew up with Rachael my whole life and she wasn't a bitch to anyone who didn't deserve it. She told people straight up what she was thinking and she didn't care if she stepped on anyone's toes. I can't believe that she would think that I had left the pack on purpose, let alone to '_party_' of all things. Was the pack even worried where I was? Oh, right, it was just Jacob and me now. Jacob was probably pissed that I didn't protect his _precious_ imprint better. I know he didn't care about me enough to find out what happened to me.

I felt so alone and isolated which made me cross my arms defensively, tears pricked my eyes as I spat, "Big _fucking_ whoop."

Alarik looked at me stunned, like I had just slapped him across the face.

"I need to use the bathroom." I growled, pushing myself off the mattress before rushing for the door away from Alarik. I had no trouble finding the bathroom.

I just needed to get away from him. I needed to think.


End file.
